With the introduction of websites, such as MySpace, Flickr, Shutterfly, and those associated with other online sharing services, sharing photographs, video clips, audio clips, and other media objects, with friends, family and colleagues has become easier and easier. Using these websites, individuals can upload their media objects so that others can not only view, listen to or watch the media objects, but also engage in commentary or conversations regarding the media objects. There is significant value not only in the media, but also in the discussions that are generated around that media.
However, many discussions regarding the media object may have occurred before the media object was uploaded to the website and/or may be going on concurrently while the media object is posted to the website but outside of the context of the website (i.e., “out-of-bound”). For example, the person responsible for uploading the media object may have also uploaded the media object to several other, separate websites where similar discussions are taking place. In addition, he or she may have sent the media object directly to friends or family members (e.g., using a Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message) prompting a back-and-forth discussion regarding the media object with the recipient (e.g., using Short Message Service (SMS) messages).
Since these separate conversations took place over entirely different media (e.g., MMS, SMS, email, instant messages (IMs), other website, etc.), the content of these discussions is lost, unless the creator (or uploader) of the media object manually uploads the content of the ongoing discussions to the website. This, however, would likely be quite onerous.
A need, therefore, exists for a technique that would facilitate the sharing of comments and conversations surrounding various media objects.